The Off Topic Topic

[DGuller]

Lately there has been a lot of military aviation activity over the Hudson.  Jet fighters flying over, what seems like surveillance planes flying over, Chinooks.  I don't recall a lot of that happening until recently, I wonder what changed.  If there were an air force base nearby, then I would think that it would be a constant thing.

[The Brain]

Lately there has been a lot of military aviation activity over the Hudson.  Jet fighters flying over, what seems like surveillance planes flying over, Chinooks.  I don't recall a lot of that happening until recently, I wonder what changed.  If there were an air force base nearby, then I would think that it would be a constant thing.

Big exercise going on?

[Grey Fox]

Assets coming back from being in Germany/Qatar/Djibouti in case of Afghan deployment?

[Josquius]

For those who doubt that racism is alive and well in the UK this sentence really hammers it home....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/02/call-sentence-review-neo-nazi-told-read-classic-literature

[grumbler]

For those who doubt that racism is alive and well in the UK this sentence really hammers it home....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/02/call-sentence-review-neo-nazi-told-read-classic-literature

Why?  Because the charge he was convicted of was "possessing a record of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism?"  That's not racist, that's Orwellian.

[Sheilbh]

For those who doubt that racism is alive and well in the UK this sentence really hammers it home....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/02/call-sentence-review-neo-nazi-told-read-classic-literature

I agree - and apparently that judge has form (some dodgy comments about Roma defendants in the past)

But I think there is a point here that if a sentencing judge thinks that this is just "teenage folly" (which I think is often likely - especially as teenagers live more online where they are exposed to various sorts of extremism depending on their interests and is perhaps particularly heightened during covid - Gaby Hinsliff had a good Guardian piece on this today) I feel like we do need to think of options to intervene/help. Obviously that should apply equally and I doubt it would if he was called Ahmed, but I think we do need to think about how we can socially provide an off-ramp so there's something between doing nothing and prison for an 18 year old reading the anarchists' cookbook or whatever.

[Tonitrus]

For those who doubt that racism is alive and well in the UK this sentence really hammers it home....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/02/call-sentence-review-neo-nazi-told-read-classic-literature

Why?  Because the charge he was convicted of was "possessing a record of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism?"  That's not racist, that's Orwellian.

Gotta agree with the grumbler here...the kid obviously seems like a racist ass in need of good smack to the noggin', but that law is a good example (in my Yank eyes) of why you Brits lack some proper freedom over here.  Especially if that can get you 15 years in the goal.

[Josquius]

I would say the more opposite, that it's a sign of americas lack of freedom. But hey ho. Point missed anyway.

[Eddie Teach]

Say what?

[Habbaku]

Say what?

We have to take away your freedom to make you free.

[The Brain]

Say what?

It's a tribe thing. "Freedom" is a good thing, therefore even if a reduction of freedom in a certain situation is considered better it must be described as being more (true) freedom. Just like everything good = left wing and everything bad = right wing, no matter the facts on the ground.

[Josquius]

Say what?

We have to take away your freedom to make you free.

Thats the basics of how civilization works.

Though in this case not having laws agaisnt preparing for terrorist attacks= if you're doing this and brown you get snatched by men in black anyway with no legal recourse.

As said however missing the point. Shelibh got it.

[Razgovory]

We lost Will Smith to the Brits.

[HVC]

He's being more jaden than will right now.

[Sheilbh]

Via Twitter - very fond of the Welsh word for cappuccino